Haarde Named Iceland’s New Ambassador to the U.S.

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Haarde Named Iceland’s New Ambassador to the U.S.

Former Prime Minister of Iceland Geir H. Haarde (2006-2009) was appointed as a new ambassador for Iceland as of January 1, 2015, by Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson yesterday, most likely as Iceland’s new Ambassador to the United States.

Gunnar would not confirm to mbl.is in which country Geir is set to serve as ambassador, as the country in question must first approve the appointment. But according to the newspaper’s sources, Geir is expected to serve in Washington DC.

Geir, who used to chair the Independence Party, worked in Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, for approximately 20 years.

He served as finance minister 1998-2005, foreign minister 2005-2006 and prime minister 2006-2009, or until his government collapsed following the economic crisis in Iceland, which hit in October 2008, at which point Geir retired from politics.

Gunnar also appointed former MP for the Left-Green Movement Árni Þór Sigurðsson as an ambassador for Iceland’s foreign service yesterday. It has not been reported in which country he will serve.